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New organisation to help the disabled

Hunter Disability Support Organisation hopes to create a blueprint for similar organisations to form.

It is hoped a new group will create the blueprint for similar support organisations ahead of the rollout of the Hunter's National Disability Insurance Scheme pilot project.

The Hunter Disability Support Organisation is made up of people with a disability, their families, friends and carers, and will have its second meeting this afternoon.

Group spokeswoman Catherine Mahony says it is the first of its kind in the region and will help shape the NDIS.

She says the group is funded by federal money received by the Physical Disability Council of New South Wales.

"That funding is for us to go through the experience of trying to establish a Disability Support Organisation, which is a fairly new structure and mechanism," she said.

"Then we will put together a report with recommendations which hopefully will be a blueprint for other launch sites throughout Australia, as the National Disability Insurance Scheme becomes a reality."

The group is preparing a submission for the inquiry on the NDIS legislation.

Ms Mahony hopes her group's experience will create a blueprint for similar support organisations in the future.

"People from the community are invited to make submissions to the inquiry on the National Disability Insurance legislation, which is in draft form at the moment," she said.

"And we, as the Hunter Disability Support Organisation, are working to put together a submission on the importance of groups like ours actually being legislated."